The invention relates to a method for removing from a printing press, through the intermediary of a traverse, a cleaning device assigned to a cylinder, and further relates to a device for removing from a printing press a cleaning device assigned to a cylinder, the removing device including a traverse in the printing press, the traverse being adjustable with respect to the cylinder into two different positions, and the cleaning device being removable from the printing press by the traverse in the longitudinal direction of the latter.
The necessity for removing a cleaning device from a printing press can, in practice, for example, result from having to exchange a new and clean cleaning cloth, that is able to be wound up and unwound, instead of a used-up and soiled cleaning cloth. The exchange of the cleaning cloths generally requires good accessibility of the cleaning device, which is not provided for a cleaning device found within the printing press. Special problems result when the cleaning device located between two side walls of the printing press during the use thereof cannot be lifted from between the side walls in a direction parallel thereto.
An impression-cylinder washing device for sheetfed printing presses is described in Japanese Patent 25 78 123, the main body of the washing device being displaceable on a rail perpendicularly to the side walls. The rail extends through an opening formed in the lower section of an impression cylinder through the side wall.
An opening in the side wall aligned in-register with the cleaning position of the cleaning device is undesirable or altogether impossible in many cases. For example, in another type of printing press than that shown in the Japanese Patent 25 78 123, at the inner side of the side wall, transmission members, pipelines or the like can be arranged, by which an opening in the side wall in the vicinity of the insert location of the cleaning device is blocked, and the removal of the cleaning device through the opening is consequently not realizable.
A printing press cylinder-washing device is described in German Petty Patent No. 92 13 605.2 and has a washing beam connected by a linear guiding device to a suspension device, by which the washing beam can be driven out of the printing unit in the longitudinal direction of the washing beam and again driven in. The suspension device is swivellable relative to a cylinder via linkages out of a first parallel position into a second parallel position, but not, however, in an inclined position. This device exclusively allows the washing beam to be extended and retracted axially parallel to the cylinder and is suited only for printing presses having side supports with an opening below the lower half of the cylinder. Thus, the deficiencies of the device of the aforementioned Japanese Patent 25 78 123 are not remedied by this washing device.
Furthermore, there is described in the published German Patent Document DE 19 63 6985 C1, a device nongeneric to the foregoing for feeding printing ink from a printing-ink cartridge to an inking unit of a rotary printing press, the printing-ink cartridge and the appertaining device for conveying printing ink being arranged in a traverse the position of which is variable with respect to the side frames of the rotary printing press or which is swivellable on a side frame. No suggestions for solving the problems associated with the removal of a cleaning device from a printing press can be derived from this document. The device for conveying printing ink and the printing-ink cartridge arranged in the traverse is in no way comparable with a cleaning device. The small and very handy cartridge identified by the reference numeral 11 in this reference can be placed manually between the illustrated piston 23 and the outlet 26 on the traverse and can be removed from the traverse in an equally simple manner. The traverse possesses no guiding function generally in this regard.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for removing with a traverse a cleaning device from a printing press, and a device for removing a cleaning device, including a traverse in a printing press by which, for many types of printing press constructions, the cleaning device can be removed from the printing press without great effort.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a method of removing from a printing machine, with the aid of a traverse of the printing machine, a cleaning device assigned to a cylinder, which comprises, in a first method step, shifting the traverse out of a parallel position relative to the cylinder, wherein a side wall of the printing machine blocks a movement of the cleaning device, guided by the traverse, out of the printing machine, into an inclined position relative to the cylinder, the cleaning device guided by the traverse being movable past an outer contour of the side wall or through an opening formed in the side wall, and out of the printing machine, and, in a second method step, moving the cleaning device, guided by the traverse, in the longitudinal direction of the traverse and out of the printing machine.
By this method, the cleaning device, without any great effort, for example, for servicing purposes, can be removed from the printing machine by the pressman.
An introduction of the cleaning device into the printing machine by the traverse can take place in accordance with a method wherein, in a first method step, the cleaning device, guided by the traverse in the longitudinal direction of the traverse, is moved into the printing machine, and in a second method step, the traverse is adjusted out of the inclined position, the cleaning device, guided by the traverse past the outer contour or through an opening in the side wall, being movable into the printing machine and into the parallel position wherein a side wall of the printing machine blocks a movement of the cleaning device out of the printing machine, the movement being guided by the traverse.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly including a cleaning device assigned to a cylinder, and comprising a traverse in a printing machine, the traverse being adjustable with respect to the cylinder into two different positions, and the cleaning device being removable from the printing machine in the longitudinal direction of the traverse with the aid of the traverse, the traverse being selectively adjustable into a parallel position and an inclined position relative to the axis of the cylinder.
An assembly constructed in such a manner ensures a very operationally reliable adjustment of the traverse out of a position axially parallel to the cylinder and perpendicular to the side wall into a position inclined both to the cylinder as well as to the side wall. It is understood that by the term cylinder there is meant, for example, printing unit cylinders, sheet transport drums and inking unit rollers. The assignment of the cleaning device to the cylinder can, on the one hand, serve for cleaning the peripheral jacket surface of the cylinder and a cylinder covering or dressing forming it, respectively, or, on the other hand, the cleaning of printing material guided on the cylinder. In the last-mentioned case, the cleaning device may, for example, be based upon the brush principle.
This device offers the advantage that, for removing and naturally also for introducing the cleaning device, an offset opening can be provided for inserting the cleaning device into position, the opening being formed in a region of the side wall where this opening causes no trouble. In the device according to the invention, a window-shaped opening in the side wall can advantageously in many cases be completely dispensed with, if the traverse is adjustable so that the cleaning device can be guided past the outer contour of the side wall. The outer contour of the side wall which the cleaning device can be guided past can extend in the plane of the side wall in any desired direction and, for example, horizontally. If the side wall forms a so-called printing unit tower wherein the cleaning device, for example, for cleaning a rubber blanket cylinder, is arranged, the outer contour, for example, can extend substantially in a vertical direction. At the location at which the cleaning device is guided past the outer contour, the latter may be formed with an outwardly open trough-shaped recess through which the cleaning device is guided.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the traverse is swivellable about a swivel joint into the parallel position and the inclined position.
A swivel traverse is constructively especially inexpensive, and adjustable quite simply into positions relative to the cylinder.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the traverse is swivellable into approximately a vertical plane. For example, the traverse can be swivelled about a swivel axis extending horizontally as well as perpendicularly to the cylinder axis in the vertical plane, out of the parallel position and into the position wherein it is inclined relative to the cylinder. When the traverse is located in the inclined position, the cleaning device can slide on the traverse, like on a sloping or inclined plane surface, in a lateral direction out of the printing machine and through an opening in the side wall.
In accordance with an alternative feature of the invention, the traverse is swivellable into approximately a horizontal plane.
A traverse formed in such a manner can be swivelled about the swivel joint selectively into the parallel position and the inclined position and is particularly suited for development as a support table. In specific cases, the traverse can be constructed as a linear guide in the form of a guide rail or of several mutually parallel guide rails, whereon the cleaning device may inserted and slid or whereon the cleaning device may be hung or between which the cleaning device may be suspended. The cleaning device can be movable on the traverse rollingly or slidingly into and out of the printing machine.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the traverse is supported at both ends in the inclined position. A traverse having such a stable construction does not tend towards oscillations when the cleaning device is placed or hung thereon. In addition, the traverse cannot be damaged and, for example, bent if the pressman braces himself thereon. The demands on the stability of the swivel joint which can form a support for bracing the traverse at one end of the traverse are not so high for the double-ended supported swivellable traverse as for a swivellable traverse with an unsupported traverse end, so that a comparatively small-dimensioned joint can be provided. Of course, the traverse can also be supported at both ends when the position thereof is parallel to the cylinder.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the traverse in the inclined position is supported at a traverse end, and additionally supported by a swivellable support at a further support location offset in the longitudinal direction of the traverse.
Advantageously for this embodiment, the swivellable support can be swung into the region between the side walls, so that the swivellable support does not protrude and, for example, a flap-shaped protective covering of the printing machine, when the traverse is swung in, is closable behind the latter. Preferably, the traverse can be supported in the inclined position by a swivel joint at a first traverse end, and by a support swivellable about a further swivel joint at a second traverse end. The swivel joint of the traverse can, in this regard, be fastened to a side wall, and the swivel joint of the support can be fastened to the opposite side wall of the printing-machine frame. By such a construction, a constructively inexpensive and, nevertheless, very stable double-ended support of the traverse is attained.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the swivellable support is movably connected via a sliding joint to the traverse.
It is thereby desirable that, for inward and outward swinging of the traverse, the support is simultaneously entrainable. The slide joint can preferably be formed as a coulisse or sliding-block guide. A groove or a slot of the coulisse guide is preferably formed in the traverse, and a sliding arm or crank or such a roller is preferably fastened to the swivellable support. In a transposed arrangement, the groove can also be formed on the swivellable support, and the sliding arm or crank on the traverse. Preferably, the swivel joint is formed on one traverse end, and the sliding joint near the other traverse end. In many applications, the sliding joint, however, also in a middle region of the traverse, can connect the latter to the support. This may be advantageous, for example, if the swivellable support has a comparatively long dimension. In other applications, the sliding joint can be disposed near the traverse end, whereon the swivel joint of the traverse is formed, the swivellable support being able to serve for the stabilization of the swivel joint. In this regard, the swivel joint of the traverse and the swivel joint of the support can be fastened horizontally offset from one another on one and the same side wall.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the traverse is formed as a substantially U-shaped profiled supporting table.
Such a supporting table affords a particularly reliable support of the cleaning device, even if it is very difficult and troublesome, due to its size, to handle. The supporting table can thus form lockingly surround the cleaning device on the outside from below by the U-shaped profiling, so that, when the cleaning device is moved in the longitudinal direction of the traverse, guidance on both sides is provided, which secures the cleaning device in the insert position thereof. In this regard, it is noted that a formlocking connection is effected by the shapes of two elements, as opposed to a forcelocking connection wherein two elements are connected together by force external to the elements.
The assembly according to the invention is provided for printing machines and especially for rotary printing machines. The application thereof for cleaning a rubber blanket cylinder of an offset printing machine is particularly desirable.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method and assembly for removing a cleaning device from a printing press, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.